Reflections for the new year that is upon us...

Donald Whitney has published some wonderful thought-provoking resources that I am trying to work my way through in my quiet times. I would challenge you to read these questions over the next several days, along with me, and to pray about what actions God would have us take in our efforts toward holiness:"Consider your ways!" (Haggai 1:5) -
1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family's life this year?
4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year and what will you do about it?
5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life and what will you do about it this year?
6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently for this year?
8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last?
9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?
"The plans of the diligent surely lead to advantage." (Proverbs 21:5)

Then, for further consideration, here are some deeply challenging questions from George Whitefield to use in probing your soul:
HAVE I...
1. Been fervent in prayer?
2. After or before every deliberate conversation or action, considered how it might tend to God's glory?
3. After any pleasure, immediately given thanks?
4. Planned business for the day?
5. Been simple and recollected in everything?
6. Been meek, cheerful, affable in everything I said or did?
7. Been proud, vain, unchaste or enviable of others?
8. Recollected in eating and drinking? Thankful? Temperate in sleep?
9. Thought or spoken unkindly of anyone?
10. Confessed all sins?

Biblical Womanhood is always expressed through the lens of love

For some time I have been reading Susan Hunt's book Spiritual Mothering. Even as a young woman it is important to realize that there is always a younger believing woman looking to model herself after the women God has placed in her circle of influence. Although I am only in my early thirties, there are many teenage girls and young college-age women whom I may impact without even realizing it. They are watching carefully to see how I speak, dress, interact with others, serve, and behave. This is a scary thought sometimes when I reflect upon my failures and sinful habits. But Mrs. Hunt carefully admonishes the reader to note that the qualification for any mentoring relationship with a fellow sister in the Lord is LOVE. She attributes the following important distinctions to biblical love:
1. It gives the energy to work at our relationships and conduct.
2. It is an action and therefore does not come naturally!
3. It demands dying to oneself.
4. It take enormous risks!
5. It is mandatory for our faithful witness (Jn. 13:34,35)
6. It requires us to remove the "outer garments" (like selfishness and pride) that may hinder our ability to display it.
These characteristics of love make it abundantly clear that it is not a simple task. Lord, help me to love biblically and not according to fleshly standards!

Present Application of Truth

Psalm 28:6,7..."Blessed be the Lord! For He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him." This passage helps answer the question: what do we do with our emotions? Oftentimes our emotions overwhelm us like a flood, whether it be sadness, frustration, irritability, anger, joy, sorrow. Then we have a difficult time discerning what is true and right when it is mingled with our fleshly emotions that are often tainted by our own sinfulness. Here the psalmist is presently applying himself to remember God's Truth. As one of my professors put it: the psalmist does not say that he is helped and so therefore trusts - but he chooses to trust and then is helped. Take note of that sequence. The help comes from choosing to believe.

Ponder nothing earthly minded...

Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded, For with blessing is His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth, Our full homage to demand.

King of Kings, Yet born of Mary, As of old earth He stood,
Lord of Lords, In human vesture, In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful. His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven spreads it's vanguard on the way,
As Light of light descendeth from the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish as the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six-winged seraph, Cherubim, With sleeples eye,
Veil their faces to His presence as with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Lord Most High!

by Fernando Ortega

Stirring one another up

One of my pastors posted an article that was so intricately connected to a two-hour conversation I had last night with a close friend. It was so encouraging to see the Lord provoking multiple people to the same thoughts in the same season. I was going to leave a really long comment on his blog about how his post applied directly to the conversation I had with my friend. However, after rereading my comments, I decided it would be better for me to simply post about it on here. Firstly, because sometimes blog comments can be misconstrued or misunderstood to mean something other than what the author intended. I don't want to place additional words in the mouths of the Grace Remarx bloggers. The post linked to here is merely a jumping off point for some thoughts of my own. And secondly, because I am still relatively "new" to the blogging world, especially commenting. So, all that said...I would encourage you to read the post at Grace Remarx, which is linked to below. Now I would like to expand on something that has been the meditation of my thoughts in recent days, as well as the topic of several conversations I have had:

Last night, a friend and I were discussing how there seem to be more and more first-generation believers in this age. This is a beautiful and exciting thing to see, particularly in the college ministry I have the joy of serving under. But it also presents a thoughtful issue for the longstanding believer who has never known a life of solitary faith. What I mean by solitary is that most traditional church-going individuals have historically come from a long line of spiritual family members. That is quickly becoming less common. And it should be a source of joy for the Church, as we observe the work of Christ being wrought in the hearts of those who have no explanation for the salvation they have inherited other than the express and profound mercies of God Almighty! When God delivers someone from the absolute pits of darkness where he had no exposure to or experience of any religious affections in his home, that is a distinctly miraculous event!

Unfortunately, sometimes I think we are so inward-focused on our personal spirituality and our family's (sometimes to the point that we idolize it) that we fail to properly "stir up" some of these new converts, particularly those who may be the only believing person in their family. They do not have any godly heritage cultivated in their home and so it is imperative that they be included actively in ours so that we can model it for them. I see this specifically in young adults (many of whom have been redeemed out of an entirely pagan unbelieving family) who are eagerly growing in doctrine and holy living as young believers but it is often solely the result of God's grace to incline them to righteousness and unfortunately, not from the precious investment of their spiritual family to intimately mentor them and spur them on in the faith. They need us to build them up so they are ready to go back into the fires that surround them in their unbelieving homes, so they will be encouraged to carry out "good works" in living a life that is wholly set apart from all that they have previously known.

We take for granted that we may have grown up in a home where Christ and His Word were openly taught and embraced. We so much take it for granted that we build our entire lives around our families and rarely reach out beyond the four walls of our homes. Dare I say we are almost building a fortress around our parents, spouses and children to the point that we neglect the spiritual sons and daughters God has given us to care for and beyond that, fail to reach out to those who are not even in our spiritual family yet! I am not at all trying to take away from the biblical principles of marriage and parenting, which must be pursued diligently and primarily. However, the most clear picture a young solitary believer who comes from a lost family background will ever have of what true eternal happiness is, can only be found in seeing mature believers who treasure Christ more than any earthly blessing, including family.

We are really good at coming to church every week and even participating in ministries, but are we searching out opportunities to place the needs and eternal outcomes of others before our own comforts and enjoyments? It necessarily implies sacrifice, something most of us are not willing to make (myself included). This sacrifice might mean inviting a young single mother and her children into your home for a meal. It might mean offering to meet for coffee with a teenage girl who is all alone in her spiritual journey and is being persecuted by her own parents for her new found faith. In the end, I don't really see how these things are truly a sacrifice, but instead are a privilege! It is a privilege to fellowship with other believers and to spur them on in the faith. "I belong to you and you belong to me, and we each belong to and have 'ownership' in EVERY other believer in the world" (Jerry Bridges).
Grace Remarx link:
http://graceremarx.blogspot.com/2008/12/love-and-good-worksnot-just-attendance.html

Twilight

I have been pondering some thoughts for several days now on the newest craze sweeping amongst our young people, that being the "Twilight" book series and subsequent movie. I have not seen the movie nor read any of the books, so I do not have a firsthand opinion of them. However, I am hearing about so many teens and young adults, particularly Christians, who are soaking up the books as fast as they can. And women in general, even wives and mothers, who are enthralled by this series. As I stated, I do not have personal experience with any of the material, however, am very concerned about the unquestioningly loyal following that has been established. Young women everywhere are saying "It's my favorite ever!"; "You have to read/see it!"; and on and on... I have read two specifically insightful reviews of the material, and would just like to pass it on here. I don't think many people read my blog, but for those that do, please take a moment to read the links below. I am in no way saying that no one can see the movie or read the books, and I am not attempting some legalistic persuasion to prevent people from doing something they are certainly free to do. However, I am saying, don't be thoughtless in your reading and viewing material. Put some research into it before you just open your mind and heart to such things. And mothers, please be alert about what your young daughters are immersing themselves in. I remember quite well, as a teenager, reading some "harmless" romance fiction books. I pray I would be more careful with such decisions knowing what I know now. These stories only conjure up unrealistic and even ungodly expectations about what we think we will find in a mate. Being swept away by romantic notions may feel good in the moment, but the end result is often a sinful meditation on things we think we are lacking, and at best is simply a waste of time that could be spent reading much more thoughtful and helpful material.
http://www.gospelandculture.org/2008/11/vampires-and-young-female-desire/
http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/book-review---twilight.php
UPDATE: I wanted to clarify something that several friends have asked me. If you check either of these links, please note that I am not the "Melissa" who has posted comments on these other sites. I guess there are other 30-something single Melissa's out there, but this one is not me as I have not commented about these articles except here on my own blog:)

Graduate Hope

I have been working diligently on my master's degree in biblical counseling throughout this past year. Lord-willing, I have one to two years left, depending on how many classes I can afford to take at a time. But in my recent classes, I had to write several papers, that unbeknownst to me at the starting point, ended up coinciding in such a distinct manner. One, which was to be the defining and application of true biblical hope; another, an exegesis project on I Peter 1:3-9; and finally, a paper outlining my future thesis topic - biblical counseling cross-culturally and inter-racially. All three of these papers ended up signaling me so clearly to a better grasp of HOPE and how the believer's sincere faith automatically results in a genuine hope. A hope that surpasses racial boundaries, a hope that assures the saved man to press on amidst the deepest afflictions, and a hope that produces lasting changes in the sanctified Christian. It would be impossible to share here all the wondrous things the Lord has been teaching me throughout this time, and to point out the careful ways in which my studies related so personally to God's specific providence in my life at this time, but here is a snippet of something from one of my papers:
True biblical hope is defined and applied in Peter’s letter. The reason Christians can rejoice is because of their living hope. This hope is outlined in four key areas. The ground of hope is the mercy of God in causing regeneration within the heart of man. The character of this hope is secure and indestructible. It is not like worldly hope, which will most assuredly perish in the end. The power of this hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ because that is the power of God. Finally, the object of the believers hope is his inheritance in Christ Jesus. All earthly things are decaying, but the believer’s hope is never going to diminish in power or glory because it is an inheritance that has already been given. It is kept for the believer; he does not keep it himself.

Tragedy of Congo

A couple of summers ago, I served as a missionary teaching English amongst other things, to Congolese refugees in South Africa. I heard firsthand accounts of the violence and poverty this country has suffered, and unfortunately the times have only worsened. With over five million dead, this little country is suffering tremendous strife and families are being ripped apart in the bloodshed. Please follow this link for an in-depth look at the tragedy of Congo. PRAY for our brothers and sisters there, and pray that God would send more believers to encouraged these suffering people with the only true hope, Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord!
http://www.slate.com/id/2204662/

Wisdom in choosing friends

Lydia Brownback at The Purple Cellar posted some great articles last week on friendships for women. I would highly encourage you to check it out on the link to her site in my blog list. However, I couldn't resist quoting a bit of it here:

"Prov. 12:26 - 'The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.' The friendships we choose are a direct reflection on our heart for God. Don't give your trust to those whose Christian walk is unstable. (Prov. 24:21) This doesn't mean we don't reach out with our lives and actively love unstable people. What we are talking about here is linking ourselves emotionally to them. DO choose a friend for her passion for holiness. 'As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.' We can sharpen or be sharpened for better or worse. The primary criterion for choosing a friend is whether we help one another grow spiritually. One way to know is to assess, overall, where we are spiritually after spending time together. Are we generally closer to God as a result, or farther away? In other words, does the friendship cause us to flourish or diminish?"

God pours out His presence

The past week has been deeply encouraging to me by God's grace. I have been searching out the answer to the question: is it possible to grieve and yet still be joyful in the Lord? (or something like this)...as I have pondered that thought in recent weeks, God providentially chose this week to really lay out before me the answer to it. By prayer and meditating on specific Scripture passages, I am confindent that YES, we can grieve tremendously, being filled with sorrow, and yet rejoice in the inheritance we have in Christ through a relationship with Him as Lord. I so want to expound on this, but have so much to do today...so I will just leave this quote from a song that was sung at church this morning:
"For I am crucified with Christ. It is not I, but Christ that lives within me. His cross will never ask for more than I can give!" This is sorrow mingled with joy, being assured that in the suffering and crucifxion of Christ, I am now guaranteed that He will never require something that is beyond what can be accomplished through Him, despite my inabilities. His strength perfects my weaknesses!